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Art Stroll: Newark Museum

Visiting the Newark Museum, NJ was long long overdue …in fact it was already overdue when Kim and I had planned a visit in March 2020 but alas …you get the picture. Anyway finally we were able to go in July this year and boy oh boy what a treasure Museum this is. Def. have to go back.

I am starting with this beauty by NJ-Artist Bisa Butler– The Warmth of Other Sons, 2020.

It was stunning to see her work in real life. The piece is based on a photo of an unidentified family traveling north as part of the Great Migration. In the original photos the boy in the foreground had no shoes, she gave him shoes on purpose – taking care of him as she stated in this interview.

Bisa uses fabrics sourced from Ghana, Nigeria, and South Africa to create live sized quilt portraits.

Also in the Museum was a piece of Bisa from 2011- Flowers of Faith – I love seeing how the idea for her work has been consistent but how it evolved so amazing!

Such a powerful piece! Lady Walking a Tightrope, 2006. Yinka Shonibare. Nigeria.

  • Man with Bicycle – Mid 20th Century but an unrecorded Yoruba artist in Nigeria.

Moccasins from the late 19th – early 20th century but a Lakota artist. So modern and amazing.

“Many Came Back” by El Anatsui, Ghana

A wonderful wallhanging made of liquor bottle tops and copper wire.

The following pieces were part of a room about Pop Culture and Religion in Contemporary Art. “The varieties of religious experience run wide and deep in America, and yet we are bound together by our shared democratic values and a common culture of material consumption. Far from comprehensive, this installation brings together works from the permanent collection that explore intersections between spirituality and pop culture. Using diverse materials – including yarn, cigarette wrappers and discarded clothing – and sources a disparate as graphic novels and Buddhism, these works tell stories and contemporary parables in styles that range from documentary to abstract, from handmade to high tech.”

Top Cross by Edrick Jenkins made with Camel cigarette wrapper paper and the bottom cross by Jon Bok made with bottle caps and saw blades

Millennial Guardian Angel by Newark Artist Jo-El Lopez.

The Newark Museum is also a really beautiful building by the way – we didn’t get to sit down in the hall but in non Covid19 times I might.

YEAHHA!

Domestic Shield V by Willie Cole – Scorched Canvas mounted on wood and ironing board. In the 80s “…Willie Cole became pre-occupied with the steam iron as a domestic, symbolic, and artistic object, and began using iron scorch marks in a series of works to evoke human faces, masks and boats. In Domestic Shield V, these scorch marks reference African ritual scarification and branding practices, while the ironing board itself alludes to the work of African American domestic laborers.”

Slave Rape Story Quilt – Faith Ringgold 1985″The Slave Rape story was very hard to do. There is so much we don’t know about black women during slavery – it simply hasn’t been written. I read a lot and I simply made up the rest from what I thought to be true. The facts I researched, but the events are manipulated in order to bring a message of the sheer horror of slavery for black women in America.” Faith Ringgold, 1985

Girl Skipping Rope by Hale Woodruff 1959

Danza Ritual (Ritual Dance) by Carlos Mérida, Guatemala 1962

The abstract treatment of the figure in this painting refers directly to the motifs of ancient Mayan art. He was also influenced by Cubism and Surrealism.

Joseph Stella – The Voice of the City of New York Interpreted” 1920- 1922

This Multi -Panel Painting is reminiscent of altar pieces – Stella portrayed American Engineering and technology as a kind of new religion, an association reinforced by the deep, saturated colors – like stained-glass windows.

King Kong and Fay Wray ca. 1933 by an unidentified artist. This sculpture was likely created to decorate the lobby of a movie theater to celebrate the opening of the film King Kong

Fright by William Henry Johnson – a Serigraph on Posterboard ca. 1985

The Sole Sitter – another piece by Willie Cole, 2013. ..Look closely

“I surround myself with images of African sculptures…these images get embedded in my subconscious and re-emerge almost effortless in my work.”

I hoped you enjoyed this art stroll as much as Kim and I did. Timed tickets, masks, vaccination proof and a temperature check made sure we felt safe and sound and could enjoy the art – We will be back for sure!

Nat

Comments (3)

  • Erica

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    Great post! I’ve never been to the Newark Museum, so I appreciate the virtual tour.

    Reply

  • Sue Clarke

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    Flowers of Faith is gorgeous. The John Deer one could be seen in my neighborhood IRL during the summer and fall, Sole Sitter is so so clever! TFS your art adventure Nat.

    Reply

  • Andrea R Huelsenbeck

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    I lived in New Jersey for the first half of my life and never knew there was an art museum in Newark. Next time I go back, this is on my list of things to see. Thanks, Nathalie.

    Reply

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Last Chance Sale – Creative JumpStart 2021

Did you join our Creative JumpStart workshop in January 2021? If not, now is your Last Chance to join this 10th Anniversary Edition!!! Sign up today for just $59. Sale runs through September 13th at 11:59pm ET (NYC time) so hurry hurry!

Are you getting back into the groove of life now that summer is ending? Are you looking for some artistic inspiration and learning? Creative JumpStart is designed to JumpStart YOUR Creativity even if you have a busy schedule – videos are about 10 minutes in length and cover a broad range of mixed media techniques and project ideas. You can download the lessons and jump into one any time – play along, pause, take your time, and take what you’ve learned to your own projects as well. See what it’s all about HERE.

For our special 10th anniversary this year, we celebrated with our BIGGEST Creative JumpStart EVER – 45 different mixed media artists each shared a unique lesson with the theme Storyteller. Join CJS21 while it is still available: The workshop includes 45 downloadable video lessons, 4 recorded webinars featuring CJS21 artists and Life Coach Karen Auld, downloadable supply lists, student galleries, artist interviews, and a bonus lesson too. Join TODAY.

Although CJS21 originally launched in January 2021 and you won’t be able to play along daily, this workshop is still an excellent resource for Inspiration, Artistic Exercise, Mixed Media Techniques, and Creative Enjoyment. And it’s all brought to you by 45 of the leading Mixed Media Artists out there. I bet you recognize some of these faces:

Sign up today for just $59 and be prepared to Jump into a workshop like no other.

Remember, this is a Last Chance Sale as the CJS21 classroom will close on November 15, 2021 – you can download all the videos and supply lists that you want to by this date and save them forever …and we highly recommend doing so! These lessons can be revisited again and again whenever you need a boost for your creative mojo.

Creative JumpStart 2021 Last Chance Sale

Nat

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Spill your heART – Episode 7 and Upcoming

If you didn’t catch our Spill your heART Episode 7, you can watch a recording below. I was joined by some of my Creative Squad members past and present – Emilie Murphy, Nicole Watson, Robin Seiz, and Riikka Kovasin to discuss what it’s like to be on a Design Team:

Here is a little overview: In this episode of Spill your heART I was joined by panelists Robin Seiz, Riikka Kovasin, Nicole Watson, and Emilie Murphy from my Creative Squad to talk about Design Teams. I began by explaining why I started a design team, and we quickly moved on to discuss how the team has since grown and evolved to be so much more for both myself and its members. Joining a design team can be a big commitment, and our panelists spoke about the challenges they faced including technology hurdles, time commitments, meeting assignment criteria, facing possible rejection, and battling self-doubt. The rewards were even greater though and our panelists shared how design teams have helped them grow as artists, tell their stories, create bonds within the community, develop their style, and try products and techniques that they wouldn’t have otherwise. If you are interested in joining a design team, it is important to remember that it should be a fun and joyful experience that you do for yourself, to help you on your own unique artistic journey. Watch the webinar to learn more!

And join us for the next one on September 24th:

Spill your heART Episode 8: Artists in Residence – Where are they now?

2020 was the beginning of unprecedented challenges and changes to daily life around the world. When the pandemic forced us into lockdown, I was inspired to find a new way to connect with my artist friends and I dreamed up an interview series called Artist in Residence. Suddenly all artists were “Artists in Residence” in their own homes and I was curious how they were coping, continuing their craft, adapting to their circumstances, and generally getting on in a very different world. In this I am revisiting Natalya Khorover, Rhian Swierat and Mario Robinson to find out: Where are they now? We will chat about any long term changes, project updates, and future plans. While there are still massive issues to overcome with regards to the pandemic, some aspects of life are returning to what we once knew and it will be interesting to hear some perspective from these artists.

Friday, September 24th at 12noon EDT (NYC time) – Register here to attend

Nat

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Bring it On – Art Journal

“What if things get even crazier from now on… the ride never stops …bring it on.”

This is the first page in my newly bought ledger from 1880/90. I bought 3 and they are not used at all. They came from an estate sale and I bought them specifically for Art Journaling. I have a little weird thing that I am hesitant to fill the first page in any book that I love – when it is handbound or special. I used to be so angry at myself when I messed a sketchbook or diary or art journal up on the first page (meaning I wasn’t thrilled) that I would just burry it in a pile of stuff to not be reminded of it anymore.

Anyway, in order to not fall into that trap here (hahaha) I decided to build up my page on a piece of Grafix Dur-a-lar and adhere that to the first page, so I had a bit of time to decide if I was cool with it ;)

Here’s how I built up the page: I started with a Gelli Plate print with acrylic paints and my Batik and Lily Wallpaper stencils right on the Dur-a-lar. Then I used some collage paper – letters, stamped collage paper (using my Mini Motifs rubber stamps), and a piece from a painting on canvas that I cut apart. Next I made a sketch on deli paper and added some marks with gouache paint and my Triangle Love stamps with archival ink. I layered and adhered it all with double sided tape and a glue stick.

Here are some of the supplies I used:

Nat

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Creative Squad: Wish You Were Here – Maura Hibbitts

Hello from my Creative Squad! Today we have a lovely art journal spread from Maura Hibbitts using my Cape Cod, Mini Motifs, Tread, and Adirondack Chairs rubber stamps and our latest theme: Wish You Were Here – This time let’s think about those old travel postcards, or someone you are missing or haven’t seen in a while, or maybe a place that you are missing. The message is loud and clear: Wish you were here!

One of my favorite places in the world is right here at my home…I love my deck! I have a beautiful view of the Adirondack Mountains that I enjoy every day. The warm months let us move outside to enjoy relaxing in the Adirondack chairs and eating outdoors. My son Dan has the green thumb and adds his touch to the deck with a variety of plants: this year it’s a lot of rhododendrons, cacti, herbs and more. It’s the perfect place to gather, and I wish you were here with me.

I’m working in one of my art journals, and began the project by stamping a scene with black ink, onto the page using Nat’s Cape Cod, Adirondack Chairs, and Mission Motif stamps.

I also stamped some images onto Grafix Doubletack paper. I used Nat’s Tread and Mission Motif stamps. Be sure to let these dry completely.

Now comes the fun part! Color the images in the art journal and on the Grafix sheet with Woody pencils (or any water soluble pencil).

Use a water brush to spread the color from the Woody coloring. You will note later that I changed my mind on the roof color. This was easy enough to do – once the page was dry, go over the area with another color and blend again.

Cut out the second “umbrella” and cobblestones from the Grafix paper and adhere to page. Color and blend in a background with the Woody pencils and water brush. Let dry completely, then add detail with a gold pen and waterproof black pen. Add “Wish you were here” and your page is done!

I do love to travel and have many places I carry in my heart, from the ocean to the mountains, villages to cities. Each place has its own unique beauty. But, it is always good to come home and enjoy what is right here on my doorstep. I have been so grateful to have this special place in recent times, and to share it with family and friends. Where is your special place? Let us know in the comments! – Maura

Thank you Maura! We love seeing your beautiful backyard oasis and how it inspires you!

Give it a try: you can find all my Rubber Stamps in my Online Shop and here are some of the supplies Maura used:

Looking for more inspiration from the Creative Squad? Follow them on Instagram here.

Nat

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Inspired By – Catskills Region

This summer we spent a lot of time in the Catskills Region in NY State. My husband is writing on another book and was craving a different environment to do so and the cats and I said “meow, why not” …well ..the cats were in the beginning not so cool about this but they got used to traveling :)

We rented a super cute house with a gorgeous fireplace and enjoyed the cooler evenings sitting outside with a drink and just chatting and solving world problems ;) I love this blue stone wall so much !

The kitchen was really cool and I loved the old brick floor. The owner is very much into a foraging style and I loved how she used a lot of unusual things for her home in a practical but also sometimes in a decorative way.

She also had a couple of those bunnies made of fabric – which I am not sure of if they are actually antique or made to look antique. Very intriguing.

Close by is Bethel, the actual place of the Woodstock Festival. Many people think it happened in Woodstock, NY which is a quite far from here, but residents in Woodstock made sure it couldn’t happen there and so after the tickets were already printed the organizers found a place at Max Yasgur’s Dairy farm here in Bethel. (residents here weren’t happy either and Max was ostracized after the event)

The dairy farm does not exist anymore but a music festival venue and a museum dedicated to the Woodstock Festival sits at the former premises. It was a very interesting exhibition.

The history of the era, the music – have always fascinated me and my stepfather was actually a huge fan of the music back then and when I was a teenager we would listen to a lot of records from that time and he would talk about how he would have loved to be at the festival. He went to the Love-and-Peace Festival on the Isle of Fehmarn in Germany, where Jimi Hendrix had his last appearance but that wasn’t quite the same ;)

Lot’s of colors

And a nice exhibition how music posters of that time were screen printed and used Art Noveou posters as inspiration.

I love this design and the lettering.

Such an iconic poster …so iconic it is also to be found at MoMA.

And this is where it all took place. It is hard to imagine this being full with tens of thousands of young people. If you are in the area, check out the museum, I liked it.

I am not quite sure what this building used to be …maybe a silo – but it was intriguing.

The Narrowsburg bridge – on the one side New York ..on the other side Pennsylvania. Narrowsburg is a really cute town and we spent a lot of time there.

Hello Turkey Bussard …and please stay where you are! LOL. They were everywhere and in the morning I could see them taking off from a tree in front of our cottage by the dozens …impressively big.

Lots of antique stores around and we found some corbels – the top two are already mounted to our deck on our house. We loved the patina. The other two will find a spot ;)

The Delaware River at Skinners Falls – it was fun being out there – watching people in their kayaks or tubing, people picnicking on the rocks.

Ok this bridge was a bit scary LOL!

Every morning two fawns visited the cottage – they were so darn cute…and fast. This picture was actually taken by my brother in law ..I usually just got white tails.

We saw this cute little barn&studio and boy…I love this so much- can I have this as my art studio please? This mini Dutch Colonial house really made my heart pitter patter. I think this needs to be a stamp :)

Old school 4th July Parade in Narrowsburg – all the fire departments in and around Narrowsburg took out their old and new fire trucks for the parade …I guess that is normal …lol- but hey – remember I am from Germany and this might have been my first non-city 4th of July celebration.

I hope you enjoyed this little trip to the Catskills Region …I did and we will be back for sure.

Nat

Comments (2)

  • Sue Clarke

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    “War is not healthy for children or other living things” is a patch that I bought and put on jeans over 20 years ago!
    It is the same design as shown but in color.
    What a lovely post and that barn would make a nice studio and stamp.
    BTW, in my little town of 5000 people in NH, our parades always include fire trucks and police cars.
    I know that the children love them and the adults get to see what their taxes bought this year (we vote on these items every spring).
    Take care Nat.

    Reply

  • Nancy

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    That area of NY is beautiful. I live a bit farther up in the Hudson Valley. Thanks for sharing your views of the area.

    Reply

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ArtCollab – Back to School Episode September 7th!

The next LIVE ArtCollab zoomcast is this Tuesday, September 7th at 12noon ET (NYC time) and Sarah Matthews and I are going Back to School! Register to attend HERE.

It’s that time of year to leave summer behind and get a bit more focused, maybe even with some learning! So here is what Sarah and I have planned for this episode of ArtCollab:

ArtCollab Episode 7: As teachers, Sarah and Nat usually find themselves at the front of the class but sometimes stepping back and taking on the role of student can be incredibly beneficial and inspiring. In fact, artists can always learn something new from other artists and engaging in these role reversals is a great way to try a different medium, sharpen skills, approach ideas from a new angle, and maybe even get the inside scoop on tips and tricks from other practicing artists. Taking classes and attending educational events such as artist retreats are also perfect opportunities to forge new friendships and partnerships in creativity. In addition to this discussion, Sarah and Nat will also teach each other a mini lesson in this episode and attendees can enjoy watching and engaging with them as they play both teacher and student.

We hope you join us to watch, learn, and maybe even participate in the discussion through the chat and Q&A!

ArtCollab is a monthly zoomcast with artists Sarah Matthews and Nathalie Kalbach (and occasionally other special guests too). Each episode Sarah and Nat get together, collaborate on all sorts of unique artsy projects, share their process and offer updates and sneak peeks along the way, and of course they chat about all stuff art-related and topics that go way beyond that too. ArtCollab is a real life look into the process of creating, collaborating, and the ins and outs of living an artistic life that is touched by others.

Join in for an entertaining and inspiring interlude into the world of two artists who are working together in conversation and practice.

LIVE ArtCollab zoomcasts happen every first Tuesday of the month.

Sign up for my newsletter HERE so you do not miss the next episode!

Nat

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Hope Tag – Saying it with Stamps

Sometimes against all the odds you just need a little hope. When I designed my Hope Tag stamp it was of course during yet another tumultuous time in the world and I was thinking how important it can be to have hope for the future. So among other actions, I designed a stamp to shout about Hope! And I’ve always been a fan of street art as a way to talk about issues so I wanted to play on that and do it in the style of a tag. Kinda like saying, “Hey, Hope is here!”

Sometimes I actually pop the stamp into my journaling to emphasize it, like I did here in this art journal page. And in addition to the Hope Tag you also see the Love Tag here because we all need that too :)

Although hope is usually working behind the scenes, it can be the lifeblood in our hearts as you see here, powering us through circumstances.

When everything in the background gets a little crazy and intense… there is hope :)

Sometimes you need to consciously add it into the mix of emotions, or even stitch it in to make sure it isn’t going anywhere…

…because it might be the opposite of what you are feeling!

But as far as I’m concerned, it is one of a few essential ingredients to a life well lived.

As we all look to a better future, Hope will be there with us, driving us and inspiring us.

And that is just a little bit about why I designed the Hope Tag stamp :)

Nat

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Keep Pushing – Art Journal

Keep pushing your luck!

I am challenging myself to use up the collage pile I have collected in my one of my letterpress drawers over the years – it is fun to go through the bits and pieces and finally use them for some art journal pages.

I stenciled with acrylic paints through my Manhattan stencil and I also cut a triangle from black paper where I had used my Valley Road stencil. I added a magazine image (the green and black fencing behind the lady) and used some leftover deli paper with yellow and black paint as I loved the texture on it.

I sketched my figure and even gave her jacket a little pattern using my Art Tag rubber stamp. Then I used my Hydrant foam stamp which I had previously stamped with acrylic paint on paper.

Here are some of the supplies I used:

Nat

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